UFC Fight Night 147: Masvidal Makes His Point

UFC Fight Night 147: Masvidal Makes His Point 

By Jesse Donathan

There is something to be said for a man of few words who lets his fists do the talking.

These are the kinds of real fighters who live by a different code, one of the streets where respect is the name of the game and common sense goes a long way in not only keeping you alive but humble, down to earth and appreciative of all the things that god has given you. Including a pearly white, full set of teeth which dentists like “Gamebred” Jorge Masvidal are all too willing to extract pro-bono, free of charge.

Masvidal cleaned Darren Till’s clock Saturday night, knocking “The Gorilla” out cold in the second round of the main event at UFC Fight Night 147 and apparently he wasn’t done there either. Backstage, Masvidal was in the process of being interviewed by ESPN’s Laura Sanko when someone forgot to tell Leon Edwards that Masvidal doesn’t play any games.

In the middle of an interview, Masvidal’s attention can be seen focusing off camera where Edwards is jawing to the American Top Team representative who had just beaten the UK’s Darren Till in Edwards’s own backyard.

Moments later Masvidal can then be seen abruptly ending the interview with Sanko, casually strolling over to Edwards with his hands behind his back before unleashing a volley of punches on the British fighter before the two were ultimately separated. Edwards was busted up from the exchange, having just ate a “three piece and a soda” for his efforts.

Long time mixed martial arts fans will know Masvidal to be a street fighter, and according to Masvidal himself one of the best sucker punchers in the game at that. A fighter who has spent his fair share of time fighting in the 155-pound lightweight division, Masvidal was the smaller fighter in the cage Saturday night fighting against the natural light heavyweight Darren Till who cuts an insane amount of weight to make the 170 pound welterweight limit. Which makes Masvidal’s performance all that much more impressive.

The first round saw what could have possibly been the fastest low blow in UFC history, as Masvidal darted out of the gate and landed a front kick to the noticeably drained looking Brit’s midsection, temporarily bringing a halt to the action. It is easy to dismiss these kinds of illegal blows to the groin area as little more than cannon fodder from the convenience and safety of ones living room, but they can be fighting changing blows that are illegal for a reason and put the victim in the precarious position of continuing on despite being legitimately injured from the illegal contact.

Fortunately, the Brit still had plenty of fight left in him and immediately set about flooring Masvidal with what has become Till’s signature technique in a piston like straight left hand right down the middle. After a brief scramble the fighters made their way back to their feet, with a noticeably amped crowd enjoying the main event featuring the hometown hero Darren Till.

There was plenty of action in a short period of time, with Till going on to drag the American Top Team representative down to the mat after catching a sloppy leg kick only for Masvidal to once again make his way back to his feet.

Till’s mouth was wide open, visibly winded from the short but action-packed opening sequences of the fight. The drained, skeletonized look about him surely the result of an increasingly difficult weight cut to make the 171-pound welterweight limit. But despite being winded, Till clearly held the high ground in the opening stanza.

It was a 10-9 round one for “The Gorilla,” but the success would be short-lived as Masvidal would go on to whether an accidental eye poke from Till in early in round two, briefly threatening the Brit with a takedown before going on to spoil the British crowds night for good.

Momentarily switching to southpaw, a tactic Masvidal had been using throughout the course of the fight, Jorge opened up with a tricky and slick combination that sent Till crashing to the canvas, unconscious before he even hit the mat. Masvidal proving once again he is a scrappy, junk yard dog of a fighter who will bring the fight to you regardless of the venue or size disadvantage.

For being a truly game fighter who is a breath of fresh air in the modern era of mixed martial arts, a legitimate tough guy inside the cage and out Masvidal makes my all-violence first team for being the genuine article in a field of genuine imitations. There are far too many social media darlings and athletes in the sport of mixed martial arts today and far too few guys who would just assume punch you in the mouth now rather than jump on the phone and pretend to be a tough guy on Twitter or Instagram.

For Till, its back to the drawing board. “The Gorilla” not long ago now an undefeated 17-0 title contender, since that time the British Muay Thai specialist has fallen victim to back-to-back stoppage losses to former champion Tyron Woodley and now “Gamebred” Masvidal. A fighter who once boasted about his size compared to other welterweights and how much weight he cuts, Till is now faced with the daunting reality that maybe size isn’t the only thing that matters in a fight and that perhaps it’s the grueling weight cuts themselves which are effecting his performances, effecting his cardio and diminishing the protective fluid surrounding the brain thus making him more susceptible to fight ending knockout blows.

One thing that I always like to stress to fight fans new and old alike is to have an appreciation and respect for fighters like Till even in defeat. Till is a predator, make no mistake about it. It was kill or be killed in that cage Saturday night and it could have just as easily have been Masvidal who got a round trip ticket to meet the Sandman. There is something special about putting two sharks in the cage, each fighter actively seeking to separate the other from consciousness. No game planning or blanket parties involved, just a good old-fashioned fist fight between two alpha, apex predators vying for dominance and territory in a rugged, harsh environment.

That kind of game attitude, a willingness to bring the violence win, lose or draw should be appreciated by fans and pundits alike because there are many men who would succumb to their flight defensive mechanisms instead of looking to be the hammer in the ring or cage. Till went out on his shield as they say and that kind of performance will always be worthy of respect in my book. The fate of a true gladiator in the cage, these are the kind of fights fans want to see and thank heavens there are warriors like Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal who are willing to give us what we want to see.

All in all, UFC Fight Night 147 was an average card that had a main event that lived up to expectations. The British crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy the promotion, though likely sent home with a sour taste in their mouth after seeing their hometown hero sent to bed early by an American gangster in Masvidal, who has proven to be one bad hombre on his way to getting that bread.